We have just concluded an insightful and highly successful accreditation visit from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association (MSA). The week was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our journey as a school and to celebrate the vibrant community we have built together.
Why We Pursue Accreditation
For us as a school, accreditation by leading bodies like CIS and MSA is a mark of our commitment to excellence. This dual accreditation is particularly important, as MSA formally accredits our US High School Diploma, ensuring its recognition by universities across the globe. The process involves a deep self-evaluation and peer review that ensures our programmes and operations meet the highest global standards. As our Head of School, Nick Little, noted in his recent blog post, “It’s a process that holds a mirror up to us and asks us to reflect on what we see… a process to ensure we are who we say we are.”
We are particularly proud to be one of the very first schools in the world to be evaluated on the new CIS Pathway 2, an accreditation route with a special focus on Global Citizenship.
A Week of Insightful Conversations
Throughout the week, we were honored to host a distinguished team of international educators who spent their time touring the campus, observing classes, and speaking with our staff, students, and parents. We extend our sincere thanks to the visiting team, led by chairs Tara Francis (Metropolitan School Frankfurt) for CIS and Suzanne Jemsby (Washington International School) for MSA, along with their talented colleagues Richard Tyler (International School Augsburg), Derek Lineham (Lineham Education, Switzerland), and Matthew Harris (St Edward’s School, UK).
Our visiting team was tasked with evaluating our progress on five key pathway projects, which form the structure of our five year school development plan:
- Project 1: Voice and Agency in our Direct Environment
- Project 2: Voice in School to Home Feedback
- Project 3: Agency in Curriculum Design
- Project 4: Agency in School Decision Making
- Project 5: Advocacy in Improving Our Communities
Affirmation and Our Path Forward
We were delighted to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, with special praise for our initiatives around student voice and advocacy, such as our new student reflection portfolios and our peer mediation scheme.
However, the most powerful commendations were reserved for our students. We were so proud to hear how they interacted with confidence, spoke with passion about their learning and their school, and demonstrated a remarkable ability to reflect on their own growth as learners.
Hearing the team’s final conclusion that our school is a “kind and inclusive” community—words at the very heart of our mission statement—was the most meaningful validation we could have received.
Next Steps
We are energised by the team’s excellent feedback as we look to our next steps. Our focus will be on seeing these initiatives through, and gathering rich qualitative data to measure their success and impact. It’s an exciting path forward, and one we are eager to embark on… after a well-deserved October holiday break!
